Something Worth Keeping
by puppet and clown
Summary: Tokiya Mikagami is now a middle school teacher. What happens when he founds out that one of his students is the sister of his former female team mate? Will he have the urge to find her? tofuuness...
1. The New Sensei

**Disclaimer:** I do NOT and never will own Flame of Recca unless Nobuyuki Anzai gives it to me, which I doubt will happen. I do however own the plot and the characters you don't see in the anime and manga.

Yay! At long last, I finally decided to write a FoR fic. I've been reading a lot of FoR fics lately and I thought why not add some piece of my own imagination to the library? So yeah. Here's the result of my long pondering. I hope I haven't made a wrong decision. This story happens to be my first FoR story so please bear with the errors you might see. By the way, I really like ToFuu a lot so expect ToFuuness in this story. Cheers!

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**SOMETHING WORTH KEEPING**

**Chapter 1 - The New Sensei**

He strode along the hallway in search for the classroom he was supposed to teach in. Apparently, he was lost for he was just new to this school. He was hired just yesterday, few months after the start of the school year. He hadn't got a chance to roam around and get familiar with the rooms and stuff in the school.

Flipping through the papers on his clipboard, he looked for his schedule. _Class 9-3: 9-10 AM._ It was his first class for the day… and for his teaching career. Now, all he had to do was to get into that classroom so he could begin his teaching. Problem was he didn't have a clue where that darn classroom was.

Maintaining his composed figure, he looked around and read every signboard that hung on each classroom he passed by until a lady called from behind.

"Good Morning Mikagami-sensei!" A lady in a pink blouse and a mini skirt greeted with a smile on her face, bowing before Tokiya Mikagami as a sign of respect.

Yes. The cold-hearted (well not very much anymore), arrogant, calm Tokiya Mikagami was now a middle school teacher. For some reason he, himself, never understood, he took up Education in Tokyo University and graduated with a bachelor's degree. Maybe, he just didn't have in mind a course that he really liked to take as he never really cared about it that he randomly chose Education for his course.

Now, he ended up being a teacher in a middle school. He regretted at first not because he doesn't like teaching. But, the fact that he would be teaching kids made him regret so much, considering his ever-short patience. He'd rather die than being stuck in a room with a kid, let alone with thrice a dozen kids.

Well, he was somewhat thankful when he found out from the principal of the school he got a job in that the students he would be teaching were nice and matured enough.

"Good Morning too, Yamada-sensei," he greeted in a less enthusiastic manner and bowed at her, who was also a teacher in that school.

"Lost, aren't you?" she said out of the blue and Tokiya, being the arrogant that he was, didn't say anything as he didn't like admitting it. "Well, I've been seeing you walking around many times already that I think you're lost," she continued and stifled a laugh.

"Well, I'm just getting familiar with the rooms here," he lied which he wasn't very good at. "I'll get to my class afterwards."

"Okay then. What's your next class?" she questioned which was beginning to bug him. Tokiya didn't like to be asked more than one question especially by a person he never really knew.

Yet, he remained calm. "Geometry. Class 9-3 at nine," he answered her though, glancing at his schedule for he hadn't memorized it yet.

"You sure you're not lost? You have roughly 2 minutes before nine and you're still here. Class 9-3 is in the fourth floor at the other side of the building," she said pointing toward her back.

"Say what?!" Tokiya's eyes widened, figuring he would be late if he wouldn't hurry up looking for that classroom. He's now in the second floor and he realized he had to climb 2 floors more. Much to his dismay, there were no elevators in the school yet.

Yamada just raised a brow at him.

"Oh yeah," he said in a monotonous voice despite his unease. "Thanks for reminding me. I gotta go," he bowed again and immediately left for the stairs to the fourth floor.

"Well, good luck in your first day!" Yamada told him and broke into a smile again as she waved at him until he's nowhere to be seen.

Tokiya was practically beginning to lose his nerve now that he ran swiftly along the hallway to the stairs. Luckily for him the hallway was barely empty that no one saw him act like that. He never liked to be seen like that.

_If I can dodge swift attacks and attack my opponents rapidly before, I bet running quickly won't be that hard._ He mentally said and kept running until he finally found the room with a signboard that said _Class 9-3_.

He halted before a door and sighed, fixing his now slightly unkempt hair that he got from all the running. "This is it," he whispered to himself as he reached for the doorknob and opened the door. He stepped into the classroom and looked over a bunch of kids who were a bit noisy at the moment.

He gulped as he could feel his heart beating faster than the usual. Was he nervous? It was very rare for him to feel nervous. Well, everyone could be nervous, even the most conceited one.

He walked over to the teacher's table and placed his folders and reference books on it. He cleared his throat to get himself noticed and to silence the boisterous students before him.

However, it didn't seem to work as they still carried on with their matters.

And it's beginning to get on the nerves of this ill-tempered new teacher that he couldn't help but pound the table with his fist hard enough to catch their attention but not to smash the table into pieces.

Well, it worked as all eyes approached him and silence fell inside the once full of turmoil classroom. Tokiya grumpily sighed as he stepped forward. Now matter how irritated he was at the moment because of what he had just seen earlier, he still managed to keep his cool as he began his introductions.

"Before I begin with the lesson, I think we need to clarify some rules first," he spoke loudly so that everyone could hear him. However, he still heard some people talking in whispers.

"Rule number 1: do NOT speak when I am talking," he said, emphasizing the word 'not' to make them remember it. He never liked noise. Well, who does? "Not a sentence, not a word, not even a letter," he continued.

He was pretty amazed, seeing all his students listening to him.

"Rule number 2: Follow the traditional school rules," he carried on as he believed the students knew already about them so there's no need to discuss about those things. "If you follow them, we're cool," he said. After that, he got a chalk and walked over to the board and wrote his name.

He introduced himself, starting off with his name, age, and the subject he would teach. Finding out he was just 22 years old, most of the female students began to fantasize and this disturbed him. He could tell because they were looking at him dreamily.

_Great. Now I got these 14-year-olds dreaming of me._ His egotistic mind spoke.

He shook his head at them and sighed, walking over to the teacher's table and took a paper that had the list of students on it. He checked the attendance, reciting all the names of his students and those he called on raised their hands and said "present".

For some reason, he paused when he read on the name 'Ganko Kirisawa'…

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Hmmm. Is that nice? I hope it is. Well, if you think Mi-chan's a bit ooc, I'm sorry. I never really intended to do that. I tried my best to keep him in his usual character. Anyway, reviews are welcome, positive or not. I wanna know if this fic is worth continuing so yeah. I'll continue if I get lots of reviews. Well, see ya in the next chapter!

Thank you very much for reading.


	2. Unwanted Attention

**Disclaimer:** Yeah I don't own it. Someday, I might. He he.

Hooray for another chappy! I hope you like it. Before anything else, I'd like to thank again those who reviewed the first chapter: **yanagi-chyan**, **tofuu kawaii**, **Shenhui**, **abubi-chan**, **mikaro**, **Master Thief**, and **Aoi-chan**. You guys don't know how much your reviews mean to me.

Okay then… Carry on with the second chapter, shall we?

Enjoy!

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**Chapter 2 – Unwanted Attention**

"Present," a girl with slightly long blonde hair jolted her hand up in the air as Tokiya mentioned her name. He glanced over the girl, taking a mental note on how she resembled a certain girl he once knew. Well, no resemblance could he see between her and the other Kirisawa but he definitely remembered a girl whose name is the same as hers.

_There's no way she is that monkey's sister._ He thought, considering how feminine the girl looked unlike Fuuko.

Clearing the thoughts off his mind, he went back on his list and soon finished checking the attendance. "No one's absent; that's great," he complimented the class though he seemed not to.

He walked over to the board and erased all the writings. Then, he began drawing some shapes as they were related to the subject he's teaching. He faced the students as he was about to begin but before he could, he saw a raised hand, knowing somebody's going to ask a question. He motioned at the person to throw whatever his question was.

"Excuse me but where is Takani-sensei?" a boy asked, referring to the teacher who used to be their teacher.

"He resigned and I don't know the reason why. No more questions about it," he answered crankily and momentarily instructed the students to get their books as they were beginning the lesson now.

"What the hell. If he continues to be like that, I might not get along with him. I mean, he's so cranky," a boy whispered to his girl seatmate who was constantly smiling at the moment and staring at the new teacher.

"Oh just shut up Shin-kun. I don't care as long as he's gorgeous," she shrugged her seatmate off and continued her blatant staring.

"Hell yeah. He's so gorgeous that he makes studying quite interesting," another girl whispered, butting into the conversation.

"Yeah whatever," the boy who was identified as Shin snappily replied, taking his notebook full of doodles. Putting it on his table, he flipped the pages and looked for a vacant page to add more doodles.

Unknown to them, Tokiya was able to hear very word they said. Well, his sense of hearing is sharp enough to hear silent attacks that he could hear almost every whisper in the room.

He then started off his lesson about polygons as he followed the subject progression that was given to him. Surprisingly, the class became participative (well, most female students did) though there were still some who were nothing but pain in the ass. It's nothing Tokiya couldn't handle.

He should. It's his job.

He wasn't that bad for his first time as a teacher. In fact, he was doing pretty well as if he was very used to it. Perhaps it was just pure talent that many of the senior teachers believed he had.

l---------------------------------------------------l

The bell rang, signaling the end of Tokiya's third class for the day and most importantly the start of lunch break. He sighed in relief as he took all his stuff and before he could leave, a lot of female students approached him and asked him if he could eat lunch with them. He simply turned all of them down and immediately walked out of the classroom.

_Kids these days. So flirtatious._ He thought as he clicked his tongue and shook his head.

He went straight to the teachers' room and then to his own table, slightly waving his hand at those who greeted him. He even heard some of the young female teacher's remarks… mostly on how he looked.

"He's Mikagami-san, isn't he? He's so hot," a teacher said in an enthusiastic tone. "I'd do anything to have a boyfriend that looks like him."

As much as he should be used to it by now, he wanted to get away from it. He doesn't need this too much of an attention. Hell, he never deserved it. Or so he thought.

Ignoring them, he plopped down on his soft and comfortable chair and leaned back. He never felt this tired before. It must be because of those brats who either constantly giggle at him for some odd reason or just mess around. All of them irked him.

"How's your class, Mikagami-san?" Tokiya lifted his head to see who called him and found out it was a quite old man with a receding hairline that almost showed his whole forehead, a pair of eyeglasses that sat on the bridge of his nose, and a large belly. He turned out to be the head teacher, Katsuoka Fukuda.

Seeing him, Tokiya stood up and gave a bow. "It was great, Fukuda-sensei," he answered politely. Somehow, what he said was true. He was kinda surprised that he did enjoy every class he had as he thought he wouldn't.

The old man smiled and wrinkles appeared on his face. "I heard from your fellow teachers you're doing great for your first time. I'm glad about that."

"Thank you for that," he humbly said and vaguely smiled. It might be very unusual of him to be humble but he's sometimes like that whenever he felt like it. But most of the time, he's still his usual self.

"I wonder if you can come with me to the cafeteria. We have some matters to discuss," Fukuda said, offering free lunch as well. Free lunch huh? It was something Tokiya couldn't ignore so he agreed. Even if there's no free food, he would have to.

Both of them left the room off to the cafeteria. As they were making their way, they were passing by people in the hallway. As exaggerated as it may be, nearly all ladies there stopped whatever they're doing at Tokiya's presence and stared at him, flushing. When Tokiya shot a glance at them, they giggled.

"I see you've become popular with the girls so suddenly," Fukuda observed, eyeing the ladies around.

Tokiya just rolled his eyes and dug his hands into the pockets of his pants. "It doesn't really matter to me," he said cynically.

Fukuda let out a laugh at him, "If I were you, I'd be so glad. When I was your age, no one stared at me like those girls did at you."

_You don't know how lucky you are. All this attention I'm getting is getting on my nerves._ Tokiya just kept his mouth shut as the both of them continued walking. If he could only banish them, he would have done it already. Really. For once, he wanted to live a peaceful life away from those people who cared only about physical looks.

It wasn't long before they arrived at the cafeteria and went on to get some food. As Fukuda got himself a cup of rice and a couple of fish, Tokiya got himself only a glass of iced coffee. He wasn't really that hungry at the moment. He just wanted to quench his thirst from all the talking he did earlier.

As they were done getting their stuff, they sat at a table at the corner of the wide room near the windows far from the crowded tables so they could have a conversation without any disturbance as they eat.

"So what is it that you want to talk about?" Tokiya asked nicely, beginning the discussion. "Is there something wrong with my job?"

"Well, as I said, earlier, I'm glad you are doing great so there's definitely nothing wrong with your job," Fukuda answered after he put a piece of fish meat into his mouth with a pair of chopsticks. "However, I'm afraid you'll be loaded with yet another job."

Sipping his iced coffee, Tokiya answered, "You mean I'm not only gonna be teaching?"

"Yes. You're not only a subject teacher but also a homeroom teacher."

For him, this is not good. Never at all. He was okay with being a subject teacher but being a homeroom teacher, it was something he didn't think he could handle.

If he was to become a homeroom teacher, it means he would have to extend his patience as he would meet the class he'd be handling more than once a day. He'd have to deal with whatever craziness the students might have and he's surely gonna need an extra long thread patience for that or else he'd explode.

Moreover, he would have to be a role model to them, like an older brother or even a father to a kid. He'd have to take care of them while they're in school, discipline them, and help them if they're in trouble no matter what kind of trouble it may be.

It was like adopting a bunch of kids into his life. His responsibilities to them would be a lot bigger.

"What?! But…" he obviously wanted to refuse.

"Mikagami-san, since you replace Takani-san, you have to do whatever job he left. That's why the city board of education hired you in the first place," Fukuda told him and then shoved rice into his mouth. "And besides, you are trained enough to do this so there's nothing to worry about."

Realizing he had no choice but to do it, he nodded. He shouldn't complain no matter how much he wanted to. If he did, he would lose his job and his newly built reputation as a teacher would be affected badly. "So which class do I get to handle?" he asked.

"Class 9-3," Fukuda mumbled, having food in his mouth.

Listening intently, he nodded and then took again a sip of his drink. _Class 9-3, the class Ganko Kirisawa belongs to._ He couldn't get his mind off her. He admitted to himself that he's kinda interested in her. Not in a sexual way though. The fact that the girl shares the same surname with Fuuko sparkled his interest, making him want to find out if they are relatives.

And what would he get from it if he really found out they are related to each other? He had no clue himself. Maybe, he'd be satisfied to see Fuuko again, who literally disappeared few years ago for some reason he and others never knew. Yeah, he wanted to see her… as well as his other friends, the Hokage as they called themselves before during the Ura Butou Satsujin.

"Since you're be handling that class, let me tell you who to pay the most attention to, the most troublesome students of that class," Fukuda continued after finishing his meal. "First in the list is Shin Nakamura, who likes to crack jokes and pull pranks at the students and teachers, especially those he doesn't like."

_I can take care of him. He's just like somebody I know._ Tokiya thought as he listened to the head teacher.

"Next, Ryo Chiba, who likes to bully other people. He keeps punching anyone if he feels like doing it."

Tokiya just nodded.

"Last, Ganko Kirisawa, who may be silent in class but she's quite troublesome."

Tokiya was dumbfounded by what he just heard. At first glance, he thought Ganko was nice and modest. He had yet to find out if this was true or not. "Why? What does she do?"

"She's really violent when she's outside of classroom not that she always looks for a fight. She's always bullied that she ends up beating up all those who bullied her."

"But, isn't that kinda normal? I mean, it's really normal to stand up against the enemies."

"I gotta say you're right about that but Ganko is a girl. She isn't supposed to be a delinquent like Shin and Ryo. Because of how she acts, she rarely gets friends. We, the teachers, don't like that to happen to all of our students as we are promoting peace and harmony in this school," Fukuda related, "Moreover, she's one of those students who need special attention when it comes to studying. Her academic performance has been really low ever since she came here yet she passes all of her subjects but this kind of performance won't do her any good in the future. She seems to be very disturbed."

"So have you done anything about it already?"

Fukuda nodded, "We've been dealing with it since ever and now that you're here, you might as well help us."

"Okay. I'll do my best to take care of those brats," Tokiya said while his mind was on Ganko. There seemed to be a plan brewing on his mind and this would apparently involve her. "When will I meet them?"

"Later this afternoon," Fukuda answered, "You get to meet them during homeroom periods, every morning before subject period starts and every afternoon before they go home."

_This is just the beginning, Tokiya._ His mind told him.

l---------------------------------------------------l

Tokiya was just done with his fourth and last session when homeroom period began. As he made his way to his homeroom class, he noticed how noisy and messy the classrooms he passed by were. Shaking his head, he hoped he would find his class quiet and organized. When he reached the room, he was rather disappointed.

Yep. That's the nature of every school and no one could ever change it.

He opened the door and entered and no one bothered to see who just entered their room. When he announced that he's gonna be their homeroom teacher for the year, most of them actually cheered (again, the girls did) but quite a few complained, who were either jealous of him and his sudden fame or just couldn't get along with him.

"Believe me buddies, as much as I don't want to, I'll be your homeroom teacher whether you like it or not," Tokiya told those who complained at his face. "Don't worry. I won't ruin your lives as long as you don't ruin mine," he continued coolly, not minding them actually.

Then, the students began to do theirs tasks as Tokiya instructed them. Some swept the floor and fixed the curtains while others emptied the trash cans and dusted off the chalkboard. Even Tokiya helped them clean.

After all the chores were done, the students were dismissed and they left right away. It was finally the end of the day and it meant a lot to Tokiya as he could finally rest after his first day of work. It was very tiring indeed yet he enjoyed it. Leaving the room, he proceeded to the teachers' so he could get all of his things fixed and go home afterwards.

As the students went home or dispersed to different parts of the school for club meetings, there was a certain group of 4 students standing near the gate. They looked as if they were waiting for someone to come out.

"Where's that Kirisawa?" a boy spat angrily, his eyes looking around for Ganko.

"Hold your anger, Ryo-kun. There's no other way out of school but here so she'll be here any minute now," another boy said, crossing his arms and leaned against the wall.

"You're right Shin-kun," the boy recognized as Ryo answered, kicking a small rock.

"If she arrives, don't expect to help you beat her. You know me; I just like to fool around. I don't hurt women no matter how bitchy they are," Shin said.

"Yeah whatever," Ryo replied and then turned to the other guys who came with them.

Poor Ganko. She didn't know somebody's waiting for her at the gate as she walked towards it. As she walked closer to the gate, she scowled when she saw familiar faces. Yep. The faces of her classmates whom she fought a couple of days ago. Not wanting to fight, she tried to walk away from them but it was too late because Ryo, Shin, and the other 2 guys had already surrounded her.

"Hello Kirisawa," Ryo greeted with a wicked smile on his face.

"What do you want?" Ganko asked irritated, her hands forming into fists.

"Not because we didn't confront you yesterday, we already forgot about our little business. Now, you'll get what you deserve, bitch!" Ryo yelled at her and the other guys except Shin viciously attacked her with no hesitation.

Ganko readied herself in defense. Good thing she was equipped with some fighting moves her sister taught her that she could make use of at times like this.

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I'm having exams next week so I won't be able to update this weekend. Sorry guys. But anyway, keep those reviews coming! No reviews, no update. Heeee… 

Thank you very much!


	3. A Mother and a Sister in One

**Disclaimer:** I still don't own it. Isn't it so sad?

Before I proceed to the thank yous and the chapter, I wanna make things clear. This story happens few years after the manga ended, which makes it not an AU fic. Also, this is based on the manga so Tokiya's hair ain't grayish-brown but silvery-blue and Fuuko's hair ain't purple but brown. That makes her eyes green as well. I don't know about Ganko's though cuz I haven't really noticed it.

I wanna express my gratitude to the following people who reviewed the second chapter: **Master Thief**, **yanagi-chyan**, **Shenhui**, **mikaro**, **longkang**, **Asphodel Oakburt**, and **midnight solitaire**.

Also, I wanna take this opportunity to reply to the reviews I haven't replied to yet because the reviewers are not signed in. Anyway…

**Mikaro** – Was the second chappie short? Aww… I thought it was long. Anyway, I hope this chappie is long enough (I think it is). Btw, I'm in college.

**Longkang** – Hey there! Thanks for reviewing my fic and the compliment. I really appreciate it. Anwyay, I hope you like this new chapter.

Okay. I'm done with the thank yous and stuff so…

Let the third chapter begin!

P.S. There might be errors so please bear with them. Thanks.

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**Chapter 3 – A Mother and a Sister in One**

Ganko received a heavy punch in the shoulder after another in the gut that she helplessly caressed her hit body parts with her hands. It was no good. She was outnumbered by these guys. Yeah she could beat the hell out but not all of them, not with all these still fresh bruises and wounds she got a couple of days ago from her fight with them. They were too much for her to handle.

She immediately fell on her knees as Ryo kicked her in the shin. _No. I should stand up to these guys. I'm not gonna let them beat the shit out of me._ She told herself, slowly standing up and clenching her fist. She would fight them no matter what. "Is that all you've got?" she haughtily smirked a little at them.

"You little arrogant bitch! Do you really think that's all I can give you after what you did to me before? I couldn't accept being beaten up by a stupid girl like you!" Ryo yelled, gritting his teeth showing how angry he was.

"You are nothing but a cowardly man. If you want to get back at me, you should do it alone without the help of these punks," Ganko replied, looking at him straight in the eye. She felt her blood boil in rage just seeing Ryo in front of her. She hated every inch of him and she doubted they'd be friends.

It's been like that ever since she stepped foot on the grounds of this school. How it began, she didn't know. All she knew was Ryo had begun ruining her life, calling her names a human being would never like. She was beginning to understand it was his nature to do things like that but the thing she never would understand was why he kept bringing her sister into the scene.

The last thing Ganko would like is hearing somebody insulting her sister like Ryo would always do.

Suddenly, she felt a wave of pain in the back when somebody hit her hard with a baseball bat. She couldn't help but groan aloud, falling on the ground. Her face hit the ground first, specks of dirt splashing all over it. Trying to get up, she carefully moved her arms and legs pushing her body up.

"You're quite strong, aren't ya? You still got the nerve to stand up after what we've done to you," Ryo spoke again, obviously starting to get pissed off as he was still unsuccessful to take Ganko down.

Never minding her aching body, Ganko shot him a glare, "I'm not like any other girl. I'm strong, willful, and can't easily be taken down... especially by someone like YOU!" She lifted her arm and landed a punch on Ryo's stomach, causing him to crouch into a ball and whimper like some dog.

The other two guys hurriedly grabbed her by the arms and she tried to pull herself off of them but she couldn't as they were tightening their grip. "Lemme go you bastards!" she shouted.

Ryo slowly got up to his feet and walked to them who held Ganko. He faced her and gave her an elbow on the stomach. "That's for hitting me earlier. I bet you learned that from your sister."

"So what?!" Ganko spat at him, making him angrier than ever.

Ryo wiped the spit off his face with his hand and smacked her hard on the face. "What the hell! You really are a dirty little bitch just like your fucking sister!"

"What did you say?" Ganko questioned him irately as she moved her arms, struggling to get off their grip.

"Are you deaf? I said you are just like your fucking sister."

"She has nothing to do with this little fight of ours so LEAVE HER OFF THIS!" Ganko was really fuming now that she shouted, not caring if a lot of people heard her. She just couldn't appreciate hearing bad things about her sister. It was something she wouldn't tolerate.

"I don't care what you say and I'm gonna do what I wanna do," Ryo said sarcastically and instructed the other two guys to do what had to be done and they began beating poor Ganko up again.

She wanted to cry now because she was feeling a lot of pain already. In the back, in the arms, in the legs, in the whole body. She wondered why the hell she was getting through this. She never did anything wrong to deserve this. All she wanted was a peaceful life but here these bullies are, ready to wreck it anytime as they please.

_Not all people are nice so be careful. Don't show weakness to those who intimidate you._ She remembered her sister say, realizing she shouldn't cry in front of them.

l---------------------------------------------------l

"Goodbye Mikagami-san!" Tokiya heard some of the teachers say and waved back at them goodbye as he opened the door and left the room, carrying a backpack. He walked down the hallway to the stairs and then to the ground floor.

As he was about to leave the building, he sighed and smiled slightly to himself. _What a nice day this is._ He turned and kept walking to the direction of the gate until a group of students beating up somebody caught his attention. He couldn't see who they were from the point he was standing that he walked closer to the brawling group.

"STOP CALLING ME UGLY!" he heard a girl yell and was practically taken aback by how loud her voice was. That girl reminded him Suddenly of Fuuko, the loud, rowdy, brown-haired tomboy who would make a huge fuss whenever she got called ugly.

He was already few meters away from them when he stopped. He saw that the girl who screamed was actually Ganko and the guys who were beating her were his students. He stood before them for a while and set his eyes on the girl, seeming to be interested in how she fought against them. Watching her every move, he came to realize how familiar her actions were.

His brain was finally getting it. He rolled his eyes at his stupidity. _I didn't know Fuuko would teach Ganko how to fight._ How could he be so stupid to realize this just now? How was it that a genius such as himself didn't figure out so soon that the Kirisawa household adopted Ganko, making her a Kirisawa as well?

He stepped closer to them and spoke calmly, "Stop this foolishness right now."

Ryo and the other boys stopped momentarily and turned to the direction of the voice. Shin turned his head as well and said rather wryly, "The new teacher is here."

"I'd really appreciate it if you showed a least bit of respect to me," Tokiya threw Shin a fierce stare which sent chills down to the boy's spine and then turned to look at everybody else. "Go home now before I change my mind on giving you detention," he said, being nice at them.

Clearly not liking the sound of detention, the guys picked up their stuff and proceeded to the gate. Ganko, who was lying on the floor, saw them leave and slowly tried to get up. Tokiya saw she was having a hard time getting up that he pulled her up by the arm, helping her.

"Thanks," she said, trying to brush some dirt off her clothes though she knew she couldn't take it off.

"No problem but if you keep fighting with them, you might get hurt more," Tokiya started out.

"It's okay. I don't mind beating the crap out of those who try to hurt me," Ganko answered, fixing her hair and clothes.

"Is this what Fuuko's been teaching you?"

"You know Fuuko-chan?" Couldn't believe what she had heard only this second, she raised a brow at her teacher. She looked closely at him, trying to remember who he was.

"Don't tell me you forgot me, Ganko," Tokiya crossed his arms. Well, he wouldn't blame her if she did. After all, he also did forget her but that was unintentional.

Still thinking of who he was, Ganko studied his features until she gave up. "I really don't. I'm sorry," she said and frowned.

"That can't be helped. You were still quite young back then and we rarely met so it's understandable that you don't remember me. Besides, you have that puny brain of yours just like Fuuko's," Tokiya said, getting back to his cocky self.

"What did you say?" Ganko scowled, her eyes narrowing at him and looking ready to attack him anytime.

"Fuuko has affected your thinking abilities, I guess."

"I don't care if you're my teacher but do NOT insult my sister," she lifted her foot and trampled his foot pretty hard that he yelped.

"Dang! You're still a brat, Ganko Morikawa. Just to help you remember, I am Tokiya Mikagami, one of your so-called sister's friends," Tokiya gruffly reintroduced himself. _Wait. Did I just say I'm Fuuko's friend? Oh crap._

Ganko crossed her arms and lowered her head, trying to remember intently because of what he said. Tokiya stood and watched her figure until she snapped out and faced him with glimmering eyes.

"What's with the eyes?" Tokiya looked at her weirdly.

"I remember now. You are the woman guy, aren't ya?" Ganko beamed, pretty sure she's correct.

Tokiya's mouth hung open at her remark. Of all the things she would remember about him, why that? "Gee. Thanks for remembering," he said sardonically. Shortly, he found himself smiling and reached for the girl's—erm… young lady's—head, giving it a gentle pat. "My my. Look how you've grown. You've grown into a nice looking young lady," he commented, _not like that monkey you call your sister_.

Ganko nodded cheerfully, beginning to feel a lot better now after all she had gone through earlier plus the nice comment she received. She then looked at him and thought of something nice to say in return. "And you now look manlier Mikagami-nichan, without that long hair of yours," she said, couldn't think of anything else to say.

It's true that Tokiya looked more masculine now. He'd been wearing his short hair for so long now since the day before his graduation. He finally decided to cut his hair. He still remembered the look on his classmates and professors back then when they saw him with a shoulder-length hair for the first time. They were rather surprised.

Taking his hand into his pocket, he answered, "Yeah. I'm kinda tired of it so I cut it. Anyway, we're still in school so call me Mikagami-sensei. I won't tolerate students calling me anything they want."

"Alright then let's get out now so I can call you Mikagami-nichan!" Ganko said childishly and grabbed his arm, tugging him out the gate. When they were already outside the school grounds, she let go of his arm and Tokiya abruptly began to walk away. "Hey! Where are you going?" she asked at his receding figure.

Without looking back and halting for a moment, Tokiya raised a hand and waved. "I gotta go. We'll talk again some other time," he told her and dug his hand into his pocket.

"Okay. I'll tell Fuuko-chan I've met you. See ya around!" Ganko waved goodbye before she turned to the way to her house and started walking. _Maybe, Fuuko-chan will be happy to know that one of her friends is here_, she thought happily, nearly forgetting the body pains she had earned before.

l---------------------------------------------------l

It was a 30-minute walk from school to Ganko's residence. Yes, a 30-minute walk. Her home wasn't that far from school, was it? Even so, she walked until she reached an old building in the corner of the street. It was an old building owned by a small, grumpy, old lady who's very strict when it comes to paying rent. Not that she complains or anything but the place kinda stinks too as if it's barely cleaned. No wonder why only few people lived here.

Fuuko and Ganko were living in a small apartment, which only comprised of a single room with a kitchen area, a tiny single bathroom, and an entrance. It was indeed small but enough for the two of them. Gladly, it came with furniture and utilities and they're for free. They still got problems though because not only they're pressured to pay rent by the landlady but also the expenses were getting high and they got no permanent source of income.

Anyway, she walked straight to the stairs to her apartment in the second floor. She opened the door and entered, resting for while. "I'm home!" she shouted as she removed her shoes and put them in a rack, putting on her slippers.

"Welcome home, Ganko-chan!" a vibrant lady greeted, bursting out to the entrance area. She had nice, expressive emerald eyes and long brown hair tied in a high ponytail, bangs sitting atop her forehead. For some reason, she looked more energetic today than ever.

"Hey Fuuko-chan! Is there something special today that you seem so alive?" Ganko asked, feeling there was something going on but not entirely sure of what it was.

"Of course there is! It's time for celebration. Come here," Fuuko joyfully dragged her inside the room and Ganko seemed surprised when she found the table full of different kinds of food.

"Wow! Those look tasty!" Ganko couldn't help but drool but that was disgusting so she stopped. "But what are those for? Your birthday was like a month ago, right? Is this some kind of a belated birthday celebration?" she asked, turning to Fuuko.

"Well, something like that, yeah. Other than that, it's your birthday today silly! Don't tell me you forgot," Fuuko answered. "Plus, I got a new job so why not throw a little celebration?"

"Oh yeah! It's my birthday today. How could I forget?" Ganko smacked her head lightly at her stupidity. Maybe, she was only preoccupied with studies (though she was never really good at it) and bullies that she forgot her own birthday.

As Ganko kept standing seeming to be in deep thoughts, Fuuko noticed the dirt on her uniform, some wounds and bruises on her legs. She also noticed some scratches on Ganko's face. "Ganko-chan, tell me the truth. What happened in school earlier?" she asked in a serious tone. Though she needed not to ask because she was quite sure Ganko had a fight again, she still did, wanting to hear it personally from her.

Ganko didn't seem to hear her that Fuuko snapped her fingers in front of Ganko's face. "Ganko?" she one again called out.

"Fuuko-chan," Ganko let out a sheepish smile and sat at the table. "Why don't we eat first and ask questions later?" she asked instead of answering her question, evidently wanting to get off the topic.

"Okay but I must remind you that you're growing older and therefore must start acting maturely. No more fights and stuff because you're now a lady," Fuuko reminded with one hand on a hip and the other pointing towards Ganko.

"Look who's talking and acting so maturely," Ganko could not help but sneer at Fuuko. She had known her sister very well since the day she stayed with her. She had known how her sister had acted during her teens and up to now, she's still like that.

"What I'm trying to say is that whatever you do in school or wherever, take care of yourself. As much as possible stay out of trouble because I don't want you to get hurt," she added, sitting at the table opposite of Ganko.

Getting a pair of chopsticks and a bowl of rice, Ganko nodded and smiled. "Don't worry about me. You know what? You're beginning to sound like a mom when you are supposed to be my sister," she said.

"Don't you like it? You got a mother and a sister in one. That's what you call a super woman," Fuuko cracked, showing a peace sign and laughing like a lunatic. She's starting to be proud of herself.

"Yeah right," Ganko simply watched until Fuuko snapped back to placidness and got herself a bowl of rice and a pair of chopsticks. "Wait. Isn't it too early for dinner?"

"Huh?"

"Oh well. Itedakimasu!" Ganko cried out and the two of them started eating.

It had been a while since they ate a delicious meal such as this. All this time, they were eating either instant noodles or rice—rice with a bit of vegetables or egg or only rice. For now, it's different because they had lots of food on their table to munch on. They got 3 different dishes today. They might be common but they sure taste damn good, especially because Fuuko made them.

"By the way, you said you got a new job, right?" Ganko asked out of the blue, opening a conversation.

"Yep. Why?"

"That means you have 3 jobs all in all. In the morning, you are a waitress in a coffee shop. In the afternoon, you are a delivery girl in a pizza parlor. What's next?"

"I'll work for a certain pub as a waitress every evening. The pay is good enough so I take the job," Fuuko answered, shoving a shrimp into her mouth.

"Aren't you overworking yourself a bit? I mean, you have to work all day, from morning until midnight. You might get sick and I don't want that to happen."

Fuuko stopped eating for a moment and faced Ganko, "You know already why I need to do this, don't you?" Ganko nodded at her as she knew perfectly why Fuuko gotta do it and it's because they needed money in order to support themselves. "So don't you ever worry about me, okay? Fuuko-chan never gets sick no matter what," Fuuko added with a satisfied smile on her face.

The both of them resumed eating until Ganko spoke again, "Anyway, I have a new teacher."

"Really? Who?" Fuuko asked as if she's interested. Nevertheless, she would still listen.

"Tokiya Mikagami."

Fuuko nearly choked on her food that she pounded her chest repeatedly until the food successfully slid down to her stomach. "What?! Tokiya is a teacher? I can't believe it!" she exclaimed in disbelief, followed a hysterical laugh.

"Why? Is there something with him being a teacher?"

"Hmmm… I don't know. I just don't see him like that. I never expected he'd be a teacher, considering that annoying attitude of his."

"I think he's nice; he even saved me from the bullies. He'll be a great teacher I suppose," Ganko justified, dipping a shrimp into a sauce and then putting it in her mouth.

They were having a good conversation about random stuff, each of them talking one after the other. Ganko related what happened in school, besides the one about her getting bullied again and having a new teacher. Speaking of Tokiya, she also told how he looked now. "With his short hair, I suppose no one will ever mistake him for a girl," Ganko said.

Because of what Fuuko heard, she wanted to see him badly.

Unexpectedly, the loud sound of heavy pounding that came from the doorway dispersed into the room. Whoever made that sound was surely angry. Fuuko sensed something was wrong.

* * *

I know. No tofuu encounter yet but there will be soon. Trust me on this. You just gotta read the next chapters in order to find out. But before I write them, I need reviews… very badly.

I'm sorry if I'm bugging you.

Remember, any sorts of reviews of reviews are certainly welcome, be it positive or negative. But no flames of course. That would be completely immature, don't you think?

Thank you very much for reading!


	4. Such a Pitiful Circumstance

**Disclaimer:** I'll totally do anything just to own Flame of Recca but apparently, it will never be mine. Oh wait. I got an idea. I'll go to Anzai's house and bug him to death until he gives it to me as a Christmas present. Isn't it cool or what? I know Christmas is already over bur it's better late than never, ayt? What a perfect plan!

Yay me! I updated. First of all, I wanna thank the following people for reviewing the third chapter: **Shenhui**, **yanagi-chyan**, **anGel.krEuz**, **malas-chan**, **longkang**, **Yamada Umeko**, and **malo**. If you wanna see your name in the next chapter, you might as well review this one. winks

Second, I present to you the fourth chapter. Have fun!

* * *

**Chapter 4 – Such a Pitiful Circumstance**

"Are you expecting company?" Ganko asked, her thumb pointing towards the doorway.

Little was she aware of the seriousness of the situation. By the way the person outside was pounding on the door, one could say he was ready to knock it off and do some crazy stuff if someone didn't open it. For all they know, it could be a criminal that is hungry for blood.

Okay. That was a bit exaggerating. Nevertheless, the two ladies cared less.

"No but whoever that person is, I'm gonna shove this chopstick up his ass for disturbing us," Gritting her teeth, Fuuko snarled as she held a chopstick up before she stood up and walked towards the door. Certainly, it irked her.

"Hey Nee-san, aren't you overacting a lot? Maybe it's just a visitor," Ganko looked up, turning her head trailing Fuuko's direction.

Fuuko turned to Ganko and answered, "If it was a visitor, he should've knocked calmly, not like this." She didn't care if she would appear rude to the visitor that she clenched her right fist surly as she opened the door.

"Who are you to disturb us?!" she growled peevishly but was stiffened when she saw before her the most unlikely person, the landlady.

"How dare you yell at an old lady like that? Have you no respect?!" The short, old lady growled back at her, exasperation crossing her features causing more wrinkles to her face, her diminutive body growing bigger making Fuuko back off and raise her hands up in front of her instinctively to protect herself.

Fuuko could simply beat anyone else up in just a jiffy except for this old lady who owned the apartment she and Ganko were staying. Hell. This old lady was even scarier than Kouran Mori and Tendou Jigoku combined. If Fuuko was to do one wrong move, she'd be kicked out for sure. She knew how strict and scary the landlady could be especially when angry, which could cause her homelessness. Not only hers but also Ganko's.

"You're just in time for food, Obaa-san. Would you like to eat?" Putting on an awkward grin, Fuuko offered nonetheless as the old lady entered the apartment, apparently ignoring her. She walked straight to the table and sat beside Ganko, getting herself a bowl and chopsticks.

"Hello Obaa-san," Ganko greeted gleefully and so did the old lady.

Shaking her head at this woman's actions, Fuuko closed the door and then sat back at the table. "So what makes you come here, Obaa-san?" She nicely asked but earned herself a glare from the old woman (**A/N:** heck! I'll call her Obaa-san from now on.) who happened to be in the beginning of her meal.

Clearly, she never liked to be disturbed as she began to eat.

"Don't bother me while I'm eating you disrespectful good-for-nothing child!" Obaa-san replied irritably and then took a piece of sashimi.

Fuuko's eyes widened at Obaa-san's behavior. _What's with her? She may be the owner of this whole apartment and can perfectly do anything she likes but can she treat her tenants nicely? Even just a bit?_ She thought, resuming her food.

They spent a good half hour eating supper while having a little chat. Well, Obaa-san and Ganko did most of the chatting as Fuuko remained sullen. It seems that Obaa-san has grown fond of Ganko.

"Obaa-san, I hate to interrupt but why did you come here without telling us before? Is there anything wrong?" Fuuko suddenly asked, breaking off the chatter.

Obaa-san turned to her and spoke loudly, "You wanna know? Let me tell you this. You haven't been paying the rent for 8 months now! How wrong do you think that is?"

_Oh shit. I knew she'd bring this up._ Fuuko grimaced and scratched her head lightly in discomfiture, "Forgive me Obaa-san. I promise to pay you next time."

"Next time?" Obaa-san stood up, her hands on her hips, "Do you really think there will be next time? I've heard those two words several times already but I haven't received any payment yet."

"You're not gonna kick us out, are you Obaa-san?" Ganko butted in.

"Yes I am," Obaa-san responded snappily.

Hearing her reply, Ganko and Fuuko both turned to look at each other, worry appearing on their faces, and intuitively stood up, rushing to the old woman. They went down on their knees before her, both starting to beg for another chance.

"Please Obaa-san. Don't throw us out. We have nothing else to stay. We'll be homeless," Ganko pleaded, crying exaggeratingly to get the old woman's fondness back but it didn't seem to work as the woman kept stiff.

"Don't you have a heart at all that you throw us out like that?" Fuuko added.

"Listen. I let you stay in my apartment even if you haven't been paying the rent for so many months now. What makes you think I have no heart?" Obaa-san retorted, crossing her arms over her chest.

"I beg you, Obaa-san. I've got a new job now so I'll be able to pay you this time. I promise," imploring, Fuuko clasped her hands together and pouted her lips but the old woman just ignored her.

Becoming a bit hopeless now, the sisters faced each other in resignation and slowly stood up, knowing they'd never convince Obaa-san.

"Okay. I'll let you stay for a while…"

Hearing Obaa-san's statement, the two jumped up, their eyes widening in merriment and their hands holding onto each other. "Thank you very much," they said in unison, bowing in gratitude repeatedly.

"Wait, I'm not finished yet," Obaa-san raised a hand up in front of Fuuko and Ganko, motioning them to stop bowing. As the two stopped, she continued, "I'll let you stay if and ONLY IF you pay me at the end of this week otherwise I'll evict you."

"What?!" Fuuko shrieked, couldn't believe it.

"But Obaa-san, Nee-san…" Ganko blurted but was interrupted by Fuuko.

"How the hell is that possible? I'm not gonna get my salary until the end of this month, much less this week," she explained.

"I don't know how you do it but if you don't pay me, both of you are gone from this apartment. I'll be back this Saturday to collect the payment," Saying that, Obaa-san averted to the doorway and walked, leaving Ganko and Fuuko hanging their mouths open at her resolution.

The sound of a loud bang from the door filled the atmosphere as the two kept gaping at each other.

"What are we gonna do now?" Ganko asked gravely as she saw her sister sulking while clearing the table and putting the dishes in the sink for they're already done eating. Lending a hand, she put the leftovers in a canister and then in the fridge for them to eat the next day as she waited for a response.

"I don't know. Don't worry about it," Fuuko replied gloomily, washing the dishes. She was facing a lot of problems already and this only added up. Borrowing money was not the thing in her mind right now to solve the problem since a lot of people whom she borrowed money from were bugging her already. Getting another wasn't either. _What are you gonna do, Fuuko?_ She thought, closing her eyes shut and vigorously shaking her head in annoyance.

"How am I not gonna worry if you don't know what to do?" Ganko questioned apprehensively, raising her tone a bit. Wiping the table, she thought of what to do as she was determined to help her sister. "How about I look for a job so I can help you with the payment? What do you think?" she suggested as soon as she thought of it.

Fuuko turned her head towards her younger sister and stared at her threateningly. "Don't you dare do that young lady or else," she said, showing her fist covered in suds. She didn't want Ganko to bother about the problems she was experiencing.

"Why not?"

"Because it's my job, not yours. I'm a lot older than you so I handle all the shit while you take care of your studies. I don't want your studies to be affected by this simple predicament," Fuuko reasoned out.

"But…"

"Promise me you won't do anything but mind your studies."

Wanting to help her sister and not disappoint her at the same time, Ganko was hesitant but she ended up saying yes with the crossing of the fingers behind her back of course as she really liked to help Fuuko. _I'm sorry, Nee-san but I don't want you handling all the problems on your own._

l---------------------------------------------------l

It was 7:30 in the morning and the assigned student for that day was checking attendance. Tokiya sat at the teacher's table, intently reading his lesson plan to make sure of what he's gonna teach to these brats for the day.

The student soon approached him and said, "Mikagami-sensei, I'm already done checking the attendance."

Tokiya turned to look at the student and took off his eyeglasses, putting them as well as his lesson plan on the table. "Who's absent?" he asked.

"Ganko Kirisawa," the student answered.

Tokiya scanned the classroom and indeed saw no sight of Ganko which made him wonder. She's been absent from class for 3 consecutive days now and he was beginning to think something was up with her. Something not good.

"I see. You may take your seat now," he told the student who obediently followed him.

Standing up from his seat, he walked around the classroom as he started his discussion mostly about the reminders and the future activities of the school such as the sports day which would be in a couple of weeks.

After the short discussion, he said goodbyes to his students and headed to the door as it was time for him to go and for them to start their lesson with another teacher. As he walked out the door, he couldn't seem to stop thinking of his 'special' student, Ganko. Sure she was special for she is the sister of one his friends, Fuuko. Well, adopted sister that is.

He couldn't help but curiously wonder what she's up to. He even speculated Fuuko had something to do with her absence. It was kinda unusual of him to meddle in other people's business but she's no other to him. He didn't mind whatever she's doing; he merely wanted to know what it was that's all.

Making his way to the teachers' room for there was nothing for him to do for the next hour but wait until his session with his own class, he accidentally bumped into someone for he wasn't really paying attention to the way he was going as he was thinking deeply. Scanning the hallway for watchful eyes, he gladly saw none.

Finding out it was Yamada-sensei whom he had bumped into, he stretched out a hand to her to help her stand up and she quickly took hold of it. "Watch where you're going next time, Yamada-sensei," he said rather indifferently instead of apologizing. It seems that the ice hasn't thawed completely yet. At least he was still a gentleman, helping her pick up her things from the floor.

She brushed the dirt that clung onto her skirt first before facing him. "I'm sorry, Mikagami-sensei," she said shyly as she clutched her things and stooped at him in apology.

His conscience actually bugging him telling that it was his fault, he said, "I'm sorry." He felt weird at first but good later on. He then saw her smiling at her which made him feel a lot… weirder. "Yamada-sensei, why are you smiling?" He asked, raising a brow in confusion.

"I just realized how handsome you are as what the others always say. That's all," she responded, followed by a giggle.

"Oh that?" Tokiya sighed, thinking she was becoming like _them_. "Please don't believe those rumors," he said and turned around to leave but before he could, she grabbed his arm, making him stop.

"Are you okay? You seem to be thinking a lot," she questioned, not that she was meddling or anything. She's just concerned.

"I'm okay. Don't mind me," he answered and walked away to the teachers' room without waving goodbye or see-ya-later as the lady waved and then proceeded to her class, which happened to be Class 9-3.

Few hours later, Tokiya's classes for the morning were over and lunch time began. He left some of the students eating their food in their classroom as he marched over to the teachers' room, put his stuff, and then took his wallet. He went to the school cafeteria and ordered his lunch. Thank god there was a cafeteria so he wouldn't have to wake up earlier than the usual and prepare his own lunch.

Carrying a tray of food, he searched for a vacant table. Gladly, he found one near a window. He was eating his food in solitude, ignoring the noise around until a lady marched over to him and asked, "May I sit here? Anywhere else is full," but before he could answer, she was already sitting across from him. He wanted to shun her away but he let his pride sink down for a while.

"I guess there's no need to ask, Yamada-sensei," he grunted.

"You can call me Emi if you like," she beamed and started off her meal.

"Alright, Emi-san," he said apathetically.

Both parties were eating silently with Emi sneaking looks from Tokiya. She may seem the same as the other girls who would usually go crazy over him but she claimed to be different as she's not only interested in his appearance but his personality as well. Not only that as she was the only one who had the guts to get near him, unafraid to get rejected for she wanted to know him better.

Feeling a little uncomfortable noticing her actions, he spoke monotonously, "Is there something on my face that you keep looking at it?"

"None," she grinned timidly and lowered her head. "By the way, Ganko-chan is absent again," she said, opening up a conversation.

"Yeah. Is she your student?"

"Uh-huh. She's in my Chemistry class. I wonder what happened to her."

"Are you two close to each other?" he asked, being kinda nosy.

"Yeah. She's nice to me ever since I became her teacher. I have grown fond of her and treated her like a sister. She's never good at studies so I tutor her in her homework and projects," she responded as she took a sip of her juice.

"Oh I see," he said as he looked at her. She looked nice and young, almost the same age as his. She had auburn hair that was tied neatly in a high ponytail and hazel eyes that glistened in the well lit room. She looked too… innocent and pretty. Yet, he cared of none of these.

Emi noticed him staring at her that she lifted a brow at him. "And now who's staring at somebody else's face?" she mockingly told him, her hands on her hips.

Figuring she was referring to him, Tokiya averted his gaze to the view outside the window and slightly flushed in embarrassment. So slight and almost wasn't even there that she didn't see it.

"I might go and visit Ganko later after school. I wanna check if everything is alright," he told, finishing off his meal.

"Wow. For a newbie, you're quite a responsible homeroom teacher," Emi complimented as if she's not new in this institution when in fact she is.

Holding a can of soda and bringing it to his lips, Tokiya drank and then justified, "It's my responsibility to check on my students whenever possible since I'm their homeroom teacher and I can't do anything to avoid it."

"Can I go with you?" Emi requested and he threw her an inquisitive look. "I wanna see for myself if Ganko-chan is fine. After all, she's also my student," she clarified, hoping for his approval.

He thought about it for a while and nodded, gesturing her that she got his consent. Although it would be a bit strange for him to go somewhere with a girl, he allowed her to accompany him as he didn't know the direction to Ganko's house. He could've just asked for the address but he supposed having someone to lead the way would be better.

He was in fact pleased that this was happening. He wouldn't have to carry out the plan he had in mind about getting Ganko in trouble and then having Fuuko, her guardian come over to school to discuss about the child's antics only to meet her.

That's it. He probably had gone insane. No matter how demented his plan seemed, he'd do it to reunite with his friends.

"Emi-san, you better know the way to her house."

l---------------------------------------------------l

"Are you sure we're not lost? We've been walking for like half an hour already and still, we're not there," Tokiya complained, wiping the sweat off his forehead with his hand and flicked his silvery bangs.

"Of course we're not. I know perfectly where Ganko lives," Emi said and kept walking as she searched for an old building. There weren't many old buildings in the vicinity so it should be easy to find.

Shortly, they reached it and took the opportunity to look around. Tokiya saw a bunch of dried leaves scattered on the ground as if it's barely swept. He couldn't believe how unkempt the place was and was disgusted by the unpleasant smell coming from somewhere. He didn't (and most certainly wouldn't want to) know where it came from.

"This way," Emi led him to the stairs and climbed up. They stopped before a door and she gently knocked on it. Apparently, no one was inside as no one was opening the door for them. "No one's at home."

"Now that was strange," Tokiya uttered and scratched his chin thoughtfully.

"Where else could Ganko-chan be if she's not home?" Emi began to wonder, resting her arms on the railings and scanned the area as Tokiya did the same.

Moments later, footsteps could be heard coming up from the stairs. Assuming it was of Ganko's, Emi and Tokiya both turned around to see her but were rather disappointed upon seeing another person. It was a young, slightly short woman. Her hair was loosely tied and a cap was on her head, almost covering her eyes and forehead. Not noticing the people standing few meters in front of her, she was busy searching for her apartment keys in her bag.

However, Tokiya stepped closer and studied the lady's features, something from inside him urging him to do so. He wasn't quite sure if she's Fuuko but he gotta know for himself or else he wouldn't find out.

"Fuuko?" he called out.

The woman looked up to see who called her. She narrowed her eyes for she was uncertain of who he was but when she found out, her eyes and mouth widened in surprise. "Mi-chan!" she exclaimed, running over to him, and clung onto his neck, giving him a tight hug not caring if she'd break his neck. She's just too damn happy to see her comrade again.

Embarrassed, he struggled to pull himself from her suffocating hug but ended up failing as it was getting tighter and tighter. On the other hand, Emi was confused. "Mi-chan?" she silently said to herself.

"Fuuko, you're embarrassing me," Tokiya grunted sarcastically and tried to get her off. Though it may not seem to look like it, he's really happy to see her. He felt relieved when she finally let go of his neck.

"I can't believe I'm seeing you right now," Fuuko beamed and circled him, mentally taking note of the changes she had seen. "Ganko-chan's right. You no longer look like a woman. In fact, you look more handsome than ever," she giggled like some fangirl.

"She said that?" Tokiya rolled his eyes and she caught a glimpse of it.

"You may be more gorgeous now but you're still the annoying, conceited, ice-cold jerk I know," she added and boisterously laughed at him.

"And you're still the same old, ugly tomboy I know," he cracked, giving her an icy glare. He shook his head inwardly. _She'll never be as feminine even if she has undergone a make-over._

Suddenly, Emi cleared her throat to catch their attention and Fuuko stopped cackling and turned to her, feeling a bit bad for not noticing her. "I'm sorry I didn't notice you, Yamada-sensei," she bowed apologetically.

Emi shook her head, "it's nothing."

Fuuko smiled at her and walked towards door. Opening it, she led the two people inside apologizing on how small the place was. They sat at the table as Fuuko went straight to the kitchen and prepared some drinks for them. Momentarily, she also sat at the table, joining and handing them their drinks.

"Both of you are Ganko's teachers, right?" Fuuko started out and the two nodded.

"Actually, we're here to know if she's alright," Emi said.

"Why? Is something not good?" Fuuko inquired, getting anxious by the second.

"Ganko's been absent for 3 days so we thought it'd be nice to pay her visit," Tokiya said.

"What?!" Fuuko was shocked to hear the news as she pounded the table hard. The two teachers were taken aback by her reaction as they initially supposed she knew the reason of Ganko's absence but by judging the situation, they were wrong. "How could that possibly be?"

* * *

I don't know but I personally think this chapter is kinda crappy though I really did my best on this one. I'm not completely satisfied. Whatever... 

Woohoo! Fuuko and Tokiya have finally met. Yeah, I know. It wasn't the least bit sentimental but anyway, I hope you like it.

I now need your comments. Hit the 'Go' button and make me happy. Remember, no reviews, no chapter 5.

Thank you and see ya!


	5. Wretched Luck

**Disclaimer:** I claim no ownership over Flame of Recca.

Okay… it's been ages since I last updated. I was running out of ideas on what to do with the chapter. In short, I was having writer's block, a disease (if you may call it) that every writer wants to get rid of. Plus, I was scared of the virus found on (yeah there's a virus) so I kinda decided to stop writing this fic. I'm not gonna be posting it anyway due to the virus. But when I checked the site again, it seemed to be safe now (though I'm still not sure) so I'm back to writing again! So, here's the update.

Before I forget, I wanna thank the following people who reviewed the last chap: **yanagi-chyan**,** Shenhui**,** malo**,** khryzle kawaii**,** Master Thief**,** longkang**,** mikaro**,** Wija-chama**,** SnowCharms**,** DR4GOlV**, and** Jomai**.

And by the way, I'm sorry for the typos and errors you might possibly encounter cuz I'm so damn excited to post this chapter that I don't have time to proofread it. So yeah, sorry in advance.

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**Chapter 5 – Wretched Luck**

"Well, that's what we want to know," Tokiya answered coolly, crossing her arms.

Fuuko looked down to the table broodingly. She shook her head a couple of times, appearing as if she didn't want to believe what she's thinking. _No, she wouldn't do that. She promised she'd stay away from this._

Watching the actions of the lady in front of her, Emi asked, "Are you okay?"

Fuuko responded to the female teacher without facing her, "I think I know what's going on." She started to feel angry but she remained cool, not wanting to irritate the guests.

Tokiya turned to Fuuko and shot her an anxious stare. He wanted to say "You've finally done some thinking, monkey," though since it's the first time they met after so many years but he's not dumb enough to realize it's not the right time to be saying such things. "What is it?" he asked instead.

l---------------------------------------------------l

Ganko was walking along the streets as she held up an envelope and opened it, revealing several yen bills. _I'm sorry one-san but I won't allow you carrying all the problems alone._ She thought as she took note of how much she made for the day. It's not much but it would still help. She then placed it inside her bag before it could attract the eyes of any thief around.

It's been 3 days since she began working at a ramen shop, which was rather far from the school to keep away from her prying classmates. Gladly, the owner approved of her and agreed paying her daily on a minimum. She still wore the school uniform, keeping the illusion of her going to school daily so her sister wouldn't doubt her, which apparently worked. If Fuuko found out about this, Ganko was pretty sure her ass would be dead but she cared less as her intention was to help her elder sister.

Suddenly, a ring coming from her bag disturbed the eerie atmosphere, causing her to halt. The sound was of her cellphone, which was a birthday present given to her by Fuuko few days ago. When she was sleeping, Fuuko had slipped the phone secretly into Ganko's bag. The younger lady was very much surprised when she found out. _Seriously, how could Nee-chan think of buying this stuff when she should be spending the money on more important stuff?_

She slid her hand inside her bag and pulled the accessory that's attached to her phone. She glanced at the outside screen and bit her lip. Fuuko was calling and Ganko started to panic, getting a bit paranoid. _Why the hell am I panicking? _She thought and then sighed. "Relax, Ganko. Nee-chan is calling you because she just wants to know how you are doing. Don't worry; she hasn't found out about what you really are doing," she told herself inwardly but her mind kept telling her otherwise.

Nevertheless, she flipped the phone and brought it to her ear. "Hello," she greeted in a lively tone, masking her real emotions as she spoke. Smiling to herself, she thought, _If I keep being like this, Nee-chan won't suspect a thing._

However, it turned out different from what she expected as Fuuko asked in a serious, intimidating manner, "Where are you?"

Ganko was taken aback, suddenly unable to speak. She began to stumble on her own words, which made her more suspicious. Pulling herself together, she finally responded with a lie, "I'm… on my way home from school."

"Tell me honestly, where are you?" Fuuko spoke more grimly.

Ganko felt like her heart was starting to pound fast like she's in a marathon or something. Her sister should've found out otherwise she wouldn't ask the same question twice. If she got home, she'd be dead meat for sure. Realizing there's no point in hiding, she let out a huge sigh and said truthfully, "Few blocks away from Otsuka Ramen, going home."

Unknown to her were 2 big treacherous-looking men moving stealthily towards her, carrying knives in their hands. When they were just few inches behind, Ganko sensed their presence and immediately turned around. "Who are you?" she asked roughly but one of the 2 men grappled her wrist before she could realize they're thieves and run away.

"Give me all your money and you'll be fine," the guy said and showing a knife to her face, threatening her.

Waving her arms vigorously, Ganko tried her best to struggle and escape but it was no good. Those 2 guys were too big for her to handle and she's not a great fighter unlike Fuuko, who can beat up even those who are thrice her size. She just ended up being grasped in the waist by the other guy. "Get your filthy hands off me!" she yelled out so she could be heard by anyone in the area but apparently, no one was around but the three of them.

"Hey dude, this girl is pretty. It would be a waste to let a girl this cute pass," one guy sneered as he touched the young lady's cheek.

"You're right," the other guy said and quickly scanned the area. "No one is around. This is a perfect chance," he said as his hand tightened its grip on Ganko's waist and both of them began drag her to a nearby vacant lot where the grass were nearly as tall as them so they wouldn't be discovered even if anyone passed.

"NO!!!!!!" Ganko screamed, tears flowing from her eyes nonstop, but her mouth was instantaneously tied off, quieting her down. She had never been so scared for her entire life, knowing that her sister would be there to protect her but this time, it's different as there's no one she could depend on but herself.

Trying to fight back as she was dragged, Ganko accidentally dropped her phone, leaving the line open between her and her sister.

l---------------------------------------------------l

Her eyes widening in shock, Fuuko felt her whole body tremble as she couldn't believe what she had just heard from the other line. All of Ganko's screams and those men's voices came from the receiver to her ear, telling her that her sister was in deep trouble.

"No, it can't be," she spoke, blinking incredulously, as she lowered her phone and closed it.

Perceiving a huge predicament arriving, both Emi and Tokiya faced the alarmed Fuuko and questioned in unison, "What?"

Seeming not to hear them, Fuuko abruptly stood up and headed toward the door, deciding impetuously. "I gotta go and save Ganko-chan!" she exclaimed, putting on her shoes hurriedly, and then rushed off.

Witnessing her hasty actions, Tokiya stood up and tailed her to the door. "Wait!" he called out, stopping her.

Fuuko turned around and said, "Hurry up, you two! Do you want to save Ganko-chan or what?"

As soon as he put on her shoes, Tokiya strode off the apartment room to Fuuko and so did Emi, forgetting their things. Momentarily gathering, Emi asked, "What's happening?"

"I don't know but I think Ganko-chan is being assaulted. She's somewhere near Otsuka Ramen when I called her. Anybody know where that place is?" Fuuko talked fast, her voice quivering.

Recognizing the small ramen shop, Tokiya answered, "I know where that is. Come on; I'll lead the way."

As darkness started to fill the skies, they ran as fast as they could but being at this rate, they certainly wouldn't rescue Ganko on time that they took a cab to Otsuka Ramen. Thank heavens the driver drove so fast and reached the place in less than 20 minutes and Tokiya was there to pay for the ride because Fuuko had no money. She snapped, creating another debt when she's already buried in mountainous amounts of debts, but ignored it for she should be thinking of more important things right now.

Not having any signs of Ganko, Fuuko became more startled. "Where the hell is she?!" she cried out as she turned her head, searching the area her sight could reach.

"Let's split up and search. We'll find her this way," Tokiya suggested and the three of them separated their ways, Fuuko heading to left, Emi to the right, and Tokiya to the road directing from the shop.

The street lamps lighting up the way, Tokiya investigated every corner he could see until suddenly he heard muffled sounds that came from his side. Turning around, he found a cellphone on the ground and picked it up. He examined it for a while and learned it was Ganko's, seeing the last received call, which was from Fuuko, flashed on the screen. Furthermore, he decided to take a look in the vacant lot where the sounds came from and made his way through, brushing the tall grass away.

On the other hand, as one guy clutched on Ganko's waist so she couldn't break off, the other brought a switch blade near her neck after he got all the money he found in her bag. "Now, I'll take the tie off your mouth but if you don't shut up, I won't hesitate to stab you," he warned, the blade almost touching her skin.

After the tie was removed, Ganko spat on the face of the man in front of her, making him drop the knife as he used both hands to wipe the spit that his eyes caught. She gathered all her strength and elbowed the man clutching her, causing him to loosen his grip and crouch a bit giving her a chance to break out.

Without picking up her things, she quickly ran off to the middle of the huge vacant lot, planning to hide from and lose them in the grass. However, they were fast enough to catch her, seizing both her arms. "You may have tricked us but you won't get away this time," said the guy crossly. She screamed her lungs out in distress and he cut her in the belly, giving her a huge wound, and pushed her to the ground.

Tokiya stopped on his tracks and looked around upon hearing a loud shriek. _It must be Ganko._ He thought and rushed off to where he presumed it came from until he witnessed the most dreadful thing. Ganko was lying on the ground, her clothes were dirty and tattered, a couple of bruises found on her face and limbs and a big blot of blood on her belly, revealing a large cut, and there were 2 guys doing malevolent acts on her.

"What the fuck are you doing?!" Tokiya shouted furiously, his eyes shooting glares, as he pushed the two guys off Ganko. Stooping down, he helped the girl up, and took off his coat, putting it over her shoulders, as she wept uncontrollably.

"Mi...ka…ga…mi..-ni..chan," she called, hiccups in between syllables, and looked to him helplessly.

The two felons scampered off shortly after they got up, not wanting to be captured. However, being a swift and skillful person, Tokiya managed to catch them. They are nothing compared to those people he had fought before. Confronting them, he smirked sardonically at them, "Where do you think you are going?"

Before they could get away, he landed a blow on their faces, making them fly at the great impact. And before they could get up, he lifted a leg and dropped it heavily on their shoulders, making them fall face first and crush on dirt. It didn't take long before he knocked them off without even breaking a single drop of sweat.

Leaving the two unconsciously lying on the ground, he walked to Ganko and crouched down. "Can you walk?" he patted her head gently.

Ganko nodded in response, despite the fact that the gash on her stomach kept stinging causing her inability to move. As she stood up, her vision started to blur and her mind seemed to swivel, feeling nauseous that she collapsed.

"Ganko?" he called, shaking her lightly, but gained no reaction. Deciding to stay here for a while, he carefully laid her down and dug into his pocket, pulling her phone that he had found earlier. Flipping the phone, he immediately searched for Fuuko's number in the phonebook and called.

"Fuuko, I've got Ganko," he spoke as soon as she picked up.

"Thank God," Fuuko said and took a deep breath in relief.

"Hurry up and come over here. And by the way, inform the police about this and get an ambulance. Ganko's hurt," he instructed, telling her their location.

"What happened to her?" she asked apprehensively.

"I'll tell you when you get here. Now, hurry!" he ordered and hung up before she could speak more to prevent the conversation from getting longer. He then took his own phone to call his fellow teacher but realized he didn't have her phone number. He checked Ganko's phonebook and gladly acquired Emi's number. He made another call and spoke the moment she did, "Emi-san, it's me, Mikagami," he started off and later on told her to come where he was.

He carried the unconscious Ganko out of the vacant lot to the open space on the streets to ease her breathing, the air freely circulating, because with all that grass in that vacant lot, breathing was a bit difficult for the grass blocked all the air. He laid her against the wall so she wouldn't fall and went back to take care of the guys that assaulted her.

As he dragged their unconscious bodies out to the streets, he saw Emi running toward him. She halted in front of him and gasped for air. "Where's Fuuko?" he asked.

"I haven't seen her along the way," she answered, "I came here as soon as I got your call." She then looked around and found Ganko. She approached her and sat down beside her. She studied the girl's unfortunate appearance and saw a huge wound on her belly. Cautiously, she touched the cut and became worried when she learned it was quite deep. "We need an ambulance," she told Tokiya who was laying the criminals against the post.

"I already told Fuuko to get one," he replied.

Emi couldn't help but get teary eyed at her student's current condition. To her, the girl was like the younger sister she never had that her heart melted, seeing her like this.

It took more than half an hour until they heard sirens coming from behind. Turning around, they saw an ambulance and a couple of police cars approaching them. Once the vehicles stopped, Fuuko stepped out of the car in which she had ridden first and the police officers followed bringing their guns up.

"Over here officers," Tokiya waved at them and they ran toward him. He instantly explained what he had witnessed to them and pointed at the suspects, who were at the moment regaining their consciousness but they were in handcuffs before they even knew it.

Fuuko trotted to Ganko and Emi once she saw them and looked at them in awe, "Oh God!" she clasped her hand over her mouth, couldn't believe the scene right before her eyes. Emi stood up and put a comforting hand on Fuuko's shoulder. "She's gonna be okay," Emi said as they watched the nurses place Ganko on a stretcher, bringing her into the ambulance.

Both ladies marched to ambulance and stepped in, followed by Tokiya who was done dealing with the police. At first, they were told that only one person was allowed to come in but Tokiya explained they were all the patient's relatives and they had no other ride but the ambulance. Gladly, the nurse was convinced and the trio jumped in.

As Fuuko held her sister's hand tightly and stared at her figure, Tokiya couldn't help but glance at his former teammate and then looked out the small window before it could turn into a stare. He fell into deep thoughts, his eyes on nothing in particular. _Why the fuck did this have to happen when I'm finally reunited with my friends?_

The traffic was not terrible and the cars along the way were pretty cooperative and gave way to the rushing ambulance that they got to the hospital sooner than expected. Nurses from the hospital pushed a gurney toward the emergency entrance where the ambulance was parked and the nurses inside the ambulance carried out the stretcher where Ganko's on and transferred her onto the gurney carefully.

They brought the patient into the emergency room quickly and Fuuko, Emi, and Tokiya were left in the waiting room. Tokiya sat on one of the benches and Emi sat few centimeters beside him, making him feel uncomfortable, but he didn't shrug her off for he didn't want to be rude at the moment. He looked at Fuuko who was sitting across them. Somehow, she appeared worried yet so upset that she gritted her teeth and clenched both her fists tightly that she could break her fingers any second if she wouldn't stop.

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Waiting in a ward where Ganko was sleeping soundly in, keeping the space to them with a green curtain as a divider, Tokiya sat quietly on one of the chairs while Emi went off to the cafeteria to buy some coffee and Fuuko paced back and forth near the bed as if she's very much troubled. Her repetitive actions were slightly getting on his nerves that he got up to his feet and walked to her.

"What's the matter?" he asked in a cool demeanor instead.

The brown-haired lady paused and looked down to the floor. "I don't know what to do anymore," she replied in a grave tone and remained stiff, wallowing in self-pity. She felt her eyes begin to water but her disheveled bangs almost covered the top of her face, hiding all the tears that could've formed. She felt like a heavy weight was put on her shoulders and the whole world was against her. Of all the people on earth, why should she and her family suffer? If it wasn't for Ganko, she would've snapped out of it already.

Earlier that dusk when he was still in her apartment, he found out the current situation of her former comrade. She was dirt poor with large amounts of debts that her sister had a job to help on the funds. That's all she had said.

"If you're wondering about the hospital fees, then stop wondering. I'll take care of it," Tokiya told her to lessen her burdens even only a bit. Although he didn't seem to be the most helpful person, he would help his friends in times of need and this friend of his needed all the financial aid she could get.

"You really don't have to do that."

He nodded, "Consider it as a lifetime debt. You know, you may pay me anytime you can." He couldn't just give away money like that for he needed it too to sustain his necessities.

Fuuko broke into a narrow yet grateful smile, her eyes still fixed on the floor. There was silence though it wasn't really that silent because noise from other divisions filled up the whole ward until they heard a groan coming from the bed and found out Ganko was already awake.

Ganko blinked her eyes, adjusting to the light, and helped herself up as pushed against the bed with her hands. Leaning against the headboard, she looked around and saw her sister and her teacher. "Nee-chan, Mikagami-nichan," she spoke. She looked sore as hell but felt nothing for the anesthesia kept the wound from hurting so much and it wasn't gonna wear off until after few hours or so had passed.

"What the fuck is wrong with you? You had me worried sick," Fuuko started, raising her tone enough to express her anger but not to disturb the other patients. But before Ganko could even explain herself, Fuuko continued, "I expected you to leave all the problems to me but what did you do? You skipped school, got a job, and this. If you only did what I said, this probably wouldn't have happened."

Poor Ganko. She simply looked down in shame, couldn't face her older sister, her eyes ready to burst out in tears any minute.

However, Fuuko didn't stop. She kept on talking to the point of being irrational only to get Ganko realize that what she did was a wrong thing and she should never do that again. What she doesn't realize is that she's getting overboard.

Tokiya felt it's time for him to take action to shut her up otherwise it would go on for as long as she had anything more to say and he couldn't afford hearing more from her. And besides, he knew Ganko had just had a rough night and she had more than enough of Fuuko's blabber. He couldn't help but feel sorry for her. "Hey," he said, placing a hand on Fuuko's shoulder. "I know it's none of my business but could you be more sensitive?" He couldn't believe what he said just this second.

He needed not to say more when Fuuko decided to cut it out and sighed, "I'm sorry. I'll go to the doctor and ask if we're okay to leave." Wordlessly, she turned around and headed out the curtains to the door without noticing Emi who came in with 2 cups of coffee in her hands.

"Ganko-chan, you're finally awake. I'm glad," Emi said with a smile on her face. She then walked to Tokiya and handed him his coffee. She took a seat near the bed and then took a sip of her coffee.

l---------------------------------------------------l

It was Monday afternoon and classes for that day were finally over. Still, Tokiya saw no sight of Ganko and she'd been absent for 6 consecutive days already. She was absent for a whole week last week but it was okay because she had reasonable excuses but today was different. Her wound could have healed since it's been days already.

As he marched out the school gates, he wondered what's wrong again. Fuuko could've told him but he hadn't been hearing anything from her lately. Well, he didn't bother to call and ask since it's not his business anyway but he couldn't help but wonder what's happening. He kept telling himself to stop but his mind seemed to disobey him.

Not heading to the direction to his apartment, he turned to the opposite direction and made his way to Fuuko's apartment. Getting there, he climbed upstairs to the second floor and halted before a door with the number 11 on it. He gently knocked and patiently waited for someone to answer him.

However, he had been knocking for like half an hour now and no one opened the door for him. There's a window beside the door but there were blinds hanging onto it but he was able to peek into the small room because there were gaps in between. Apparently, all he could see were a table and some old appliances that seemed ready to break in the dimness. _They're not home._ He thought as he peeked intently.

"Excuse me," he suddenly heard a croaky voice belonging to an old woman from behind and turned around. "If you're looking for the Kirisawas, they don't live here anymore," the old lady added. She was quite small, reaching only up to his waist, yet she looked so powerful and cantankerous. He could tell she's the owner of the whole building.

"Really? Where did they go?" he asked in an indifferent manner but truthfully, he cared so much. They're his friends after all and his conscience would bother him for the rest of his life if he didn't do anything to help them.

"I don't know," the old lady answered, raising her eyebrow as if to ask 'why do you ask me as if I'm their keeper?', and walked away, leaving him.

He stood there in deep thought, thinking of where on earth they could possibly have gone to. He thought of the police station, the park, and even the church but he shook his head and realized they wouldn't go there. They would be searching for a new apartment instead.

He then rushed downstairs without second thought and ran off anywhere he could get his eyes on, hoping to find them. He felt his heart beat so fast but it wasn't because he's running. It's because he's so worried of what might happen.

It looked as if the ice man was no longer an ice man.

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Yeah I know the attempted rape scene sucked. I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote it though I suck at writing that kind of scene but for some reason, the idea just fascinated me. And no, I'm not a freakin sadist just to let you know.

I think Mi-chan is so out of character here. Well, I tried my hardest to make him not ooc.

Ok. Review time! Please leave any comment (positive or negative, it doesn't matter) before you leave. Comments are like any other writer's vitamins so if you want to keep my brain healthy and completely functioning, give me vitamins. ;) Flames or anything extremely offensive won't be welcomed. Thanks for understanding.

Love ya!


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